# Castello Collection



## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

Howdy gents! It’s been a while since I’ve contributed, so I thought I’d share some a Castello shots since I had the collection out today. 

I got all of these, save for two, from Luca at Tabaccheria Corti in Lecco, Italy (yes, they ship here-super fast two day air via DHL). Let me just say...prices are amazing and the service is beyond outstanding. Luca provides customer service that is personalized to your preferences, and full of Italian charm. Can’t recommend them highly enough. 

Some of the highlights of my collection include two Aristocratica’s, a rare 55 in PiGreco, a massive GGG Vergin, a one off 55 with a diamond shank and army mount, and the 2019 Limited Edition CAP pipe. 

Thanks for looking fellas...happy piping!


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## Fusion (Apr 5, 2017)

Very nice.One day ill have one


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## ebnash (Mar 5, 2017)

Beautiful collection. Time for @Piper to post a state of the Castellos, as well.

As a tribute to this post, I'll light up one of my Castellos, next


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## Olecharlie (Oct 28, 2017)

Beautiful indeed!


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Beautiful collection @appolo. Glad you decided to share it.


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## BudgetMinded (Nov 25, 2017)

Don't be talking about prices without sharing. Are these pipes still over 200$?


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## zcziggy (Apr 11, 2019)

BudgetMinded said:


> Don't be talking about prices without sharing. Are these pipes still over 200$?


....and worth every penny. but of course, you can get a no brand at the flea market and it will smoke just as good...right? :smile2:


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

BudgetMinded said:


> Don't be talking about prices without sharing. Are these pipes still over 200$?


Considerably more, I'd wager.


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

BudgetMinded said:


> Don't be talking about prices without sharing. Are these pipes still over 200$?


There is a large range of prices on the pipes I posted...but the rusticated ones are not much north of the 200 mark. Take a look at their site, change the currency to dollars and see the tax free price.


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## MarshWheeling (Aug 27, 2019)

Nice collection. Beautiful smokers.


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## BudgetMinded (Nov 25, 2017)

Looks like the cheapest one is 207 US dollars. Not bad, but the bowl is too small.


I like that fluted rustication with the partial smooth finish toward the shank. It looks like a nice size bowl. It must be the seasoned briar that gives these pipes the reputation.


I had tried to justify buying pipes from one maker, but my last pipe was a dud...Stem was fitted well but the diameters of the bore and the end were causing excessive condensate. However my other Italian briar is now broken in and smokes very good.


Those Italians really know their pipes. Factory seconds from Castello...trade secret I am sure


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## ebnash (Mar 5, 2017)

Regardless of what the OP paid for his pipes (certainly his own business), I believe his reference to great pricing, was relative to typical pricing on Castello's across the internet. I too, have found that some of the international sources for Castellos, are much better than the local suppliers. There are pro/cons to using international sellers, but that is a decision to be made by the buyer.

I have also purchased one of my Castellos at Tabaccheria Corti and had very good experience with pricing and customer service.


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

ebnash said:


> Regardless of what the OP paid for his pipes (certainly his own business), I believe his reference to great pricing, was relative to typical pricing on Castello's across the internet. I too, have found that some of the international sources for Castellos, are much better than the local suppliers. There are pro/cons to using international sellers, but that is a decision to be made by the buyer.
> 
> I have also purchased one of my Castellos at Tabaccheria Corti and had very good experience with pricing and customer service.


This sums things up well. Castellos are not a budget brand, nor was my price comment intended to make it seem so.

Castellos to me represent what I find beautiful in pipe collecting, and buying from a vendor that charges what I consider fair and has outstanding customer service makes it all worth it for me.

With all that in mind, I posted this thread. Trying to help others that may want to start buying these while spending less than what is commonly offered Stateside.

To each their own, but my pipe buying dollars reside in Lecco.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Okay gents, here is my current collection of Castellos. Over the last year I've sold off 3 nose warmers that were beautiful but rarely smoked and invested the proceeds in more greatlines. Castello greatlines are not only beautiful IMHO but incredibly well balanced, even clenchable. Most of them have plateau rims. Their only shortcoming is that you can easily end up smoking one bowl for an entire afternoon! The greatline blast bulldog and fluted dublin were estates as was the collection 55 with the gold band.

First Picture (left to right): 2 collection bent eggs-occhio di pernice and aristocratica, 3 shape 55 pots-natural vergin, sea rock and collection with a gold and blue ceramic band.

Second Picture: 3 greatlines-old antiquari, faceted aristocratica, fluted dublin

Third Picture: 2 collection 1982 greatlines-cherrywood, dublin


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## zcziggy (Apr 11, 2019)

Those are beautiful pipes... Glad we finally got to see them..


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

Piper said:


> Okay gents, here is my current collection of Castellos. Over the last year I've sold off 3 nose warmers that were beautiful but rarely smoked and invested the proceeds in more greatlines. Castello greatlines are not only beautiful IMHO but incredibly well balanced, even clenchable. Most of them have plateau rims. Their only shortcoming is that you can easily end up smoking one bowl for an entire afternoon! The greatline blast bulldog and fluted dublin were estates as was the collection 55 with the gold band.
> 
> First Picture (left to right): 2 collection bent eggs-occhio di pernice and aristocratica, 3 shape 55 pots-natural vergin, sea rock and collection with a gold and blue ceramic band.
> 
> ...


Wow! This is a beautiful collection of Castellos for sure. Those pipes show great character...simply stunning. The great line 82's are next level pipes. 82 is my birth year, so perhaps one day I'll add one to the collection. Beautiful pieces, wow.

I just got this beauty yesterday...it was posted on their site and my wonderful wife bought it for me for our 14th Anniversary. I was floored...it's so beautiful.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

@apollo, that beautiful 55 pot is certainly an adonis!:vs_cool:


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## Fusion (Apr 5, 2017)

@Piper, Wow @apollo Wow


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## Fusion (Apr 5, 2017)

All you guys Castello's are nice but its David's @Piper Dunhill's that have me drooling


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## JtAv8tor (Apr 12, 2017)

Beautiful pipes.


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## Scap (Nov 27, 2012)

Seeing y'all's collection makes me look at mine and want to throw a rag over them to hide them from sight ... Lol

Beautiful specimens!


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Some sweet looking pipes for sure!


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## cory1984 (Jul 7, 2012)

@*Piper* & @*apollo *Thanks for sharing! Great looking collections!:surprise:


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## Scap (Nov 27, 2012)

So, @apollo when are you gonna start smoking those Castellos?

I'm gonna cry if you say never. :crying:


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

Scap said:


> So, @apollo when are you gonna start smoking those Castellos?
> 
> I'm gonna cry if you say never. /forums/vb/images/Puff_2015/smilies/tango_face_crying.png


Don't cry! So I have a solid rotation of seven Castellos I smoke...I'm enjoying some And So to Bed currently in the dark brown one in the rack pictured. The Aristocraticas may not get smoked for a while, perhaps for a special occasion...(don't cry!).

On another note, two of the pipes in rack are dedicated to Semois and La Petite Robin the rest are English pipes.

These smoke as good as they look, they are sweet and dry as a bone compared to my others.


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## Scap (Nov 27, 2012)

apollo said:


> Don't cry! So I have a solid rotation of seven Castellos I smoke...I'm enjoying some And So to Bed currently in the dark brown one in the rack pictured. The Aristocraticas may not get smoked for a while, perhaps for a special occasion...(don't cry!).
> 
> On another note, two of the pipes in rack are dedicated to Semois and La Petite Robin the rest are English pipes.
> 
> These smoke as good as they look, they are sweet and dry as a bone compared to my others.


Awesome.

Now, I'm going to go down the rabbit hole researching La Petite Robin and Semois...


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

Scap said:


> apollo said:
> 
> 
> > Don't cry! So I have a solid rotation of seven Castellos I smoke...I'm enjoying some And So to Bed currently in the dark brown one in the rack pictured. The Aristocraticas may not get smoked for a while, perhaps for a special occasion...(don't cry!).
> ...


To aid your research on Semois:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ny...hats-so-brooklyn-but-made-in-belgium.amp.html

La Petite Robin is a variant of Semois, that has a secret other tobacco as the main ingredient and Semois as the condiment (I say it's a VA blend).

These are radically different tobaccos. The Semois is bone dry and supposed to be smoked that way. I love the stuff...enough to dedicate two of my collection to them.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Scap said:


> Awesome.
> 
> Now, I'm going to go down the rabbit hole researching La Petite Robin and Semois...


I find La Petite Robin to be an idiosyncratic blend. It's a very fine shag and will burn like tinder. You need a lot of experimentation to get it to smoke slowly. According to those who've managed to crack the code (not I) semois, including in La Petite Robin, is pretty interesting.

Would love to hear from @apollo his impressions.


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

Piper said:


> I find La Petite Robin to be an idiosyncratic blend. It's a very fine shag and will burn like tinder. You need a lot of experimentation to get it to smoke slowly. According to those who've managed to crack the code (not I) semois, including in La Petite Robin, is pretty interesting.
> 
> Would love to hear from @apollo his impressions.


I totally agree with your assessment both of these are really unique animals. Here are my thoughts on each, as even in the Semois family they are different.

Semois:

I usually smoke the La Brumeuse cut, which is a thick ribbon cut and comes dry as dry can get. I smoke this in the black bent billiard with a fairly deep bowl. I like the deep bowl because it burns quick, and if the bowl is not deep enough it burns too quick. The key here is packing very tight, but not cutting off the draw. It burns very easy and is all burley tobacco (but does not taste like a burley to me) and I've not been bitten by it like VA's when they burn hot. This one is a sipper, and half way to 2/3's I dump the ash out of the bowl. The ash is so fine in find that it insulates the remainder and gets really tough to finish. The taste is very cigar like, but more earthy and mineral like. It's so unique, and I smoke this at least once a week.

Robin:

This taste like a VA blend with Semois in the background. I find that it will bite off you don't respect it. Shane Ireland suggested jarring it right away to preserve its moisture...and I find that it does not come bone dry in the package like it's brother and does have moisture to it. I jar all of mine, and find it smokes well as it comes moisture wise. This one can be over packed if you're not careful. Its a super fine shag. I use my 55 bent pot for it, that is next to the black bent billiard in the rack. I like the pot shape because it is wide enough to really enjoy this blend. The pack is tight but not Semois tight...and when lit I find that you might need to take a tool and stoke the cherry and the bowl a bit to help the burn once and a while (gently). I've had this pack funny and no smoke comes on the draw but I can blow into the pipe and smoke billows out...when this happens, I break up the center a bit and it gets right again. This one taste much sweeter and is like a savory VA with earth tones on the back side. I really like this too. Slow is key here, because it bites and the flavors get muddled if it gets too hot. Don't be afraid to let it go out and relight.

Hopefully I did not ramble on too much. I tried to stay on topic too by discussing why I picked each pipe to dedicate. I don't know if I've unlocked the Semois code...but I sure love the stuff.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

apollo said:


> I totally agree with your assessment both of these are really unique animals. Here are my thoughts on each, as even in the Semois family they are different.
> 
> Semois:
> 
> ...


Apollo, that was a fantastic description of both the taste and mechanics of semois tobaccos. Inspired by Shane Ireland's video on SP a couple of years ago, I have two packages of La Petite Robin in large jars. (I've since realized that Shane could make hay sound delicious so a little restraint is required!:smile2 I've been leery about dipping back in to this unique blend but, after reading your thoughts, I'm ready to give it another try.:vs_cool:


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

@Piper that is great to hear! I am smoking some Semois right now-and hope you do the same!!!

I think this is a blend that is worth the trouble to figure out for sure.

Hope everyone else that has Castellos posts them here- I'd love to see them!

Enjoy everyone!


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## ebnash (Mar 5, 2017)

Piper said:


> Okay gents, here is my current collection of Castellos. Over the last year I've sold off 3 nose warmers that were beautiful but rarely smoked and invested the proceeds in more greatlines. Castello greatlines are not only beautiful IMHO but incredibly well balanced, even clenchable. Most of them have plateau rims. Their only shortcoming is that you can easily end up smoking one bowl for an entire afternoon! The greatline blast bulldog and fluted dublin were estates as was the collection 55 with the gold band.
> 
> First Picture (left to right): 2 collection bent eggs-occhio di pernice and aristocratica, 3 shape 55 pots-natural vergin, sea rock and collection with a gold and blue ceramic band.
> 
> ...


I could have sworn you had a ring blast Hawkbill. Is that pipe gone now?


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

ebnash said:


> I could have sworn you had a ring blast Hawkbill. Is that pipe gone now?


You are correct Erik. I forgot about the hawkbill. I sold the old antiquari hawkbill plus three nose warmers to SP and used the credit towards a greatline. The nosewarmers were beautiful pipes in almost unsmoked condition: a castello grade almost-straight billiard, a perla nera straight billiard with a briar ring, and a collection grade bent apple/billiard that had amazing graining. My inspiration for acquiring the nose warmer was Greg Pease's beautiful collection of "brucianasos." I believe he's also the reason shape 55 pots are so popular. I hated to part with those pipes but I rarely smoked them and I'm not really a collector per se.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

apollo said:


> @Piper that is great to hear! I am smoking some Semois right now-and hope you do the same!!!
> 
> I think this is a blend that is worth the trouble to figure out for sure.
> 
> ...


 @apollo you're a good evangelist for the semois blends! It does't go with your handle but your famous quote could be "l'état semois!":smile2:


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## zcziggy (Apr 11, 2019)

Piper said:


> @apollo you're a good evangelist for the semois blends! It does't go with your handle but your famous quote could be "l'état semois!":smile2:


didn't know luis 14 smoke pipes....but if he did, bet it was semois :grin2:


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## ebnash (Mar 5, 2017)

Piper said:


> You are correct Erik. I forgot about the hawkbill. I sold the old antiquari hawkbill plus three nose warmers to SP and used the credit towards a greatline. The nosewarmers were beautiful pipes in almost unsmoked condition: a castello grade almost-straight billiard, a perla nera straight billiard with a briar ring, and a collection grade bent apple/billiard that had amazing graining. My inspiration for acquiring the nose warmer was Greg Pease's beautiful collection of "brucianasos." I believe he's also the reason shape 55 pots are so popular. I hated to part with those pipes but I rarely smoked them and I'm not really a collector per se.


Makes sense. I will miss seeing that pipe come out now and again. It inspired me to start looking for one a while back. A reminder to keep looking.

My 1st priority at the moment is to find a birth year Dunhill. I do see them pop up for time to time, but never in a shape I'm fond of. I recently found a beautiful diplomat, but it was a '78 and I'm looking for a '75.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

ebnash said:


> Makes sense. I will miss seeing that pipe come out now and again. It inspired me to start looking for one a while back. A reminder to keep looking.
> 
> My 1st priority at the moment is to find a birth year Dunhill. I do see them pop up for time to time, but never in a shape I'm fond of. I recently found a beautiful diplomat, but it was a '78 and I'm looking for a '75.


I'll keep my eyes peeled for a '75 Dunhill.


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## ebnash (Mar 5, 2017)

apollo said:


> Hope everyone else that has Castellos posts them here- I'd love to see them!
> 
> Enjoy everyone!


I have 3 Castellos, but I don't think that really qualifies as a collection...


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## apollo (Jan 11, 2014)

ebnash said:


> I have 3 Castellos, but I don't think that really qualifies as a collection...


In Homer Simpson's voice shaking fist: "post it...!"


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## BudgetMinded (Nov 25, 2017)

Just send us the pipes and tobacco we will break them all in for you


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